2008 Minerals Yearbook INDIA U.S. Department of the Interior August 2010 U.S. Geological Survey THE MINERAL INDUS T RY OF INDIA By Chin S. Kuo India has globally significant mineral resources; its deposits of based on the number of units produced (Industrial Minerals, coal, bauxite, and iron ore account for 10%, 4%, and 3% of the 2008d). world’s total resources, respectively. In terms of the relative size The Government planned to replace the export duty on iron of its mineral resources, India’s barite resource was the second ore with a uniform 10% to 15% tax on the free-on-board value largest in the world after China; iron ore, the third largest; coal of exports. In 2007, India introduced a $7.56 per metric ton duty [which totaled 250 billion metric tons (Gt)], the fourth largest; on iron ore with more than 62% iron and a $1.26 per metric ton and bauxite (2.3 Gt), the sixth largest. The country’s resources duty on iron ore with up to 62% iron. India exported 93 million of chromium, limestone, and manganese were also among the metric tons (Mt) of iron ore in fiscal year 2006-07, of which 10 largest in the world. Of these resources, 1.4 Gt of bauxite 75% went to China (Metal Bulletin, 2008a). and 62 Gt of coal are located in the State of Orissa, which also The Government exempted local fertilizer manufacturers hosts resources of chromium, cobalt, nickel, and titaniferous from the 5% custom tax on imports of phosphate rock, effective magnetite (Ministry of Mines, 2009, p. 21). June 10, 2008. The Indian fertilizer market experienced rapid In terms of production, India was among the leading growth, and the prices of such raw materials as phosphate rock producers in the world of mica (first); barite, chromium, and talc and potash increased substantially. Fertilizers and Chemicals (second); bauxite and coal (third); iron ore and kyanite (fourth); Travancore Ltd. was to develop a gypsum-based fertilizer to manganese ore and steel (fifth); zinc (seventh); and aluminum meet the demand of the growing market for fertilizers (Industrial (eighth) (Ministry of Mines, 2009, p. 11). Minerals, 2008c). The Finance Bill 2008 proposed to withdraw the tax holiday Minerals in the National Economy for oil and gas companies engaged in refining activities if such activities were to commence on or after April 1, 2009. Under India’s mineral industry contributed 1.9% of the gross the Petroleum Tax Guide 1999, oil and gas companies engaged domestic product (GDP) and was an important sector of the in mineral fuel exploration and production activities are entitled economy in fiscal year 2008-09. Mineral production in terms to claim 100% tax holiday for a period of 7 years. The guide of tonnage increased by 2.34%, and total output in terms of defines “mineral fuels” as fuels obtained from below the surface value increased by 7.1%. The value of mineral fuels accounted in the form of hydrocarbons—the heavier form is crude oil for 62% of total output; metals, 25%; and industrial minerals, and the lighter form is natural gas (Alexander’s Gas & Oil 12%. The value of mineral exports increased by 17% and that of Connections, 2008b). mineral imports increased by 15% compared with those of fiscal year 2007-08 (Ministry of Mines, 2009, p. 8-9, 109-111). Production Government Policies and Programs In 2008, production of mined lead and zinc rose by 12.7% and 7.3%, whereas that of refined lead and zinc increased by 11.5% In March, the Government approved a new mining policy and 25.1%, respectively, compared with the outputs of 2007. designed to simplify the country’s mining regulations. The The increases were attributed to expanded mining operations Parliament would begin consideration of the proposed and capacity additions at the smelters. The country mined 17.5% legislation in August. The main regulatory changes would be more chromium and produced 12.5% less cobalt metal. Gold accelerating the mining lease application process to between production declined by 10%, and silver output increased by 6 and 12 months from more than a year, making mining lease 16.7%. India produced nearly 55 Mt of crude steel and 20 Mt of approval automatic for companies that discover the mineral direct-reduced iron in 2008, which was an increase of 4% and resources, and granting companies the rights to deal with 11.6%, respectively. Crude steel capacity utilization was 89%. prospecting data (Industrial Minerals, 2008i). Output of natural gas increased by 2%, and that of crude oil Once a new mining policy is in place, the Government decreased slightly (table 1). expected to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) in mining to $125 billion in 5 years. The Government also decided to Structure of the Mineral Industry allow 100% FDI in the Kerala mineral sand project. The new mining policy would aim to liberalize the market by smoothing The Ministry of Mines is responsible for the survey and the transition between prospecting to mining and unbundling the exploration of all minerals except natural gas, petroleum, and buying and selling of exploration data. The policy also would uranium; for the mining and metallurgy of nonferrous metals; revise the way that royalty rates are determined for certain and for administration of the Mines and Minerals Act of 1957. industrial minerals; instead of being assessed on a tonnage Four public-sector companies are currently under the Ministry basis, royalty rates for ball clay, graphite, kaolin, quartz, and and the other two have been disinvested and management silica sand are to be based on the assessed value. For dolomite, control transferred to strategic partners; the Ministry, however, limestone, and slate, the royalty rates would continued to be continues to hold minority interest in these two companies. The INDIa—2008 10.1 mining industry was characterized by a large number of small Vedanta Resources plc planned to invest $9.8 billion to operational mines, which totaled 2,950 in 2008. Public-sector increase its aluminum smelting capacity to 2.6 Mt/yr by 2012 companies continued to play a dominant role in mineral from the current 1 Mt/yr. Upon completion, Vedanta Resources production; they controlled the mining and processing and were would be Asia’s leading aluminum producer. The existing the main producers of aluminum, copper, and gold. Small mines capacity included the company’s $5.65 billion Jharsuguda II were owned mostly by private-sector companies that produced project in the State of Orissa, which comprised a 1.25-Mt/yr cement and manganese ore. aluminum smelter and a 1,980-megawatt (MW) captive thermal Mineral Exploration Corp. Ltd. is responsible for the powerplant, and the $2 billion Korba III project, which country’s mineral exploration. The Ministry of Coal has the comprised a 325,000-t/yr aluminum smelter and a 1,200-MW responsibility for determining the policies and strategies captive thermal powerplant in the State of Chhattisgarh. To for the exploration for and development of coal and lignite achieve the targeted capacity, Vedanta Resources would increase reserves. Coal India Ltd., which is under the Ministry, has nine its alumina production capacity at Lanjigarh to 5 Mt/yr from coal-producing subsidiaries, including Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. 1.4 Mt/yr with an investment of $2.15 billion; debottleneck the for coking coal and Neyveli Lignite Corp. Ltd. for lignite; it also existing capacity, which would add 600,000 t/yr of capacity; and owned 50% of Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd. Total employment in build three new alumina production plants with a capacity of the mineral industry in 2008 was about 510,000 people (table 2). 1 Mt/yr each (Vedanta Resources plc, 2008). Hindalco Industries Ltd. acquired Novelis Ltd. (a subsidiary Mineral Trade of Alcan Inc. of Canada), which owned a technology to develop aluminum alloy. Hindalco planned to use the value-added India continued to be largely self-sufficient in mineral aluminum alloy to replace steel in the automobile industry. commodities, which were used as primary raw materials in Although the aluminum alloy was expected to make a car 40% various industries. India exported, in descending order of value, more expensive than a car made with steel, the alloy was lighter diamond (mostly cut), iron ore, granite, zinc ore and concentrate, but would provide as much strength and shaping capability as chromium, bauxite, and alumina in fiscal year 2007-08. The steel (Metalworld News Digest, 2008). country imported, in descending order of value, crude petroleum, Chromium.—CRONIMET Mining GmbH of Germany diamond (uncut), and other commodities, including coal, coke, acquired a 70.5% interest in GMR Ferro Alloys and Industries copper ores and concentrates, natural gas, phosphate rock, and Ltd., which would become CRONIMET Ferro Alloys sulfur (Ministry of Mines, 2009, p. 38-39). India exported 3.8 Mt (India) Ltd. CRONIMET Ferro Alloys was a producer of of finished steel products and imported 5.8 t.M ferrochromium; it had a melting plant that included two furnaces with capacities of 6 megavoltamperes (MVA) and Commodity Review 9 MVA, respectively. The plant employed 230 people, produced 27,500 t/yr of ferrochromium, and exported about 75% of its Metals output to China, Europe, Japan, and the Republic of Korea (CRONIMET Group, 2008). Aluminum.—Sterlite Industries (India) Ltd.’s 3-million- Copper.—Pebble Creek Mining Ltd. of Canada continued metric-ton-per-year (Mt/yr) bauxite mining project at Lanjigarh exploration of its Askot project in the State of Uttarakhand, in the State of Orissa was approved by India’s Supreme Court which was a massive sulfide deposit of copper and zinc that despite the protests of farmers and indigenous communities.